Premier Tom Marshall announced Friday morning that current Deputy Chief Bill Janes will become the new chief of police for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) as of today, replacing former RNC chief Robert Johnston, who retired from the force Friday after 35 years of service with the RNC. Above, Janes (right), is congratulated by his predecessor Johnston following the announcement at the Confederation Building media centre.

Former deputy chief Bill Janes, announced Friday morning at Confederation Building as the RNC’s 21st chief, says organized crime has changed in recent years.

“There’s more cocaine than there was 10 years ago, and there’s a shift in terms of a willingness to use violence,” said Janes, who noted that the presence of organized crime means the RNC will need to work closely with the RCMP and community partners.

“They don’t follow police borders and provincial borders and international borders. They cross all those borders, so we have to work in partnership with other organizations.”

Janes said it’s too early to say what his priorities will be as he takes over the top job.

“I think it would be premature to say what the priorities are,” he said. “We’re doing jurisdictional and environmental scans, we’ve had consultations with our managers and we’ll do that with all of our staff. So you need to draw all that information together to determine exactly what your priorities are.”

Janes added, though, that an RNC pilot project to focus on domestic violence will continue, and that the force has had success with intelligence-led policing.

Janes joined the RNC in 1985 and spent time on patrol, in operational support and in the criminal investigation division.

He has received the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

He trained at the Canadian Police College, Ontario Police College, the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College and Memorial University’s Gardiner Centre, and holds a bachelor’s degree in arts with a major in police studies from Memorial University.

“He can enjoy his retirement, secure with the knowledge that under his leadership the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has become a better, more modern police force, with a reputation that ranks among the finest in the world,” said Marshall.

Johnston said the RNC will be in good hands with Janes, and thanked “all the people in the community that support the RNC.”

The RNC needs to maintain public confidence to provide effective service, Johnston said.

“We need to have those relationships,” he said. “They’re critical to our success. For me, as chief of police … the success I’ve had as chief is because I had two extraordinary deputy chiefs working with me, and I had a phenomenal management team support our role as a management team, as an executive, but I think the final word should go to the women and men and the civilian employees of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary — they’re the people that do the work each day.”

Premier Tom Marshall announced Friday morning that current Deputy Chief Bill Janes will become the new chief of police for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) as of today, replacing former RNC chief Robert Johnston, who retired from the force Friday after 35 years of service with the RNC. Above, Janes (right), is congratulated by his predecessor Johnston following the announcement at the Confederation Building media centre.

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Tony Rockel

March 03, 2014 - 14:35

@Happily Retired: What's up with you? Do you really I'm being petty in protesting against the PC government's massive abuse of power when they extended to the scope of Bill 29 to cover up the Muskrat Falls shenanigans ? You must be a very complacent person indeed if you think that's OK. And gives you the right to label me a Liberal supporter. I have nothing but contempt for the behaviour of Wells and Tobin and have no reason to think the present candidates will be any better.

Not sure what Bill C-29 has to do with organized crime . The bill is just a way for Newfoundland to do what it does best --that is, ti hide as many problems and important issues as possible.
Organized crime is not nearly as "organized as people thik, and light years away from the true fact. If it's organized it usually always inviolves high powered white collar pillars of society. Some organized criminals just keep their sock drawer clean and tidy, while others control the direction of our lives--the people of this province and proliferate crime to either reap the benefits, or to maintain a reason for their position within our justice sytem. If crime went away completely, thousands of individuals would suddenltyfind themselves unemployed. Our children could live rape free and the world would be a utopic wonder. There simply isn't enough prosperity in Newfoundland to attract the big time organized criminals. What we're seeing is criminals getting tired of the big cities and moving to a kinder , and gentler landscape. From what I see , they are still just punks who can't find a job like the hundreds of thousandss unemployed people of Newfoundland. . There is nothing I like better than to write about the massive amount of Chater Violations i see everyday in all areas of social order. Newfoundland has the inpression that the rules of Canada don't apply to the "great Republic of Newfoundland" ...News flash--"Times they are a changing " Slowly but surely . The other 36 million or so Canadians, have started to pay attention . The rug is being thrown away and men like William Janes will help toss it into the dumpster ...or so we hope. He already commands the most polished force in Canada--now it's time to stop talking and take action. I could give you dozens of examples where investigations have taken years,, .with minimal results and in some cases, unessesary death . Janes will do his best to change this pattern, but he can't do it without the tools. The crime out there is street level punks--it shouold be a walk in the park. And yes, I do know what I;m talking about., so does William Janes, and I know, he'll do thomething other than talk about the guys (and girls) with good housekeeping abilities and a sharp knife.

@ Crazy, Sir you are being disingenuous to say the least. I am well aware of the Liberals' capacity for corruption and sleaze. You are well aware that Bill 29 was drastically modified by the Dunderdolts in order to ram through the MF fiasco. Two different crooks can commit different crimes with the same weapon-- the PCs had simply modified the weapon to suit their particular purposes.

@ Tony Rockel, Sir you do understand what your saying? This Bill 29, was the creation of the Liberal party. Not the PC's. If anyone is putting it to more use then anyone ELSE, Its the Libs. You'll along with a lot more will find that out. If the Zebra party become to power.

Crazy, Poor Tony is leading such a petty, pathetic life with his petty, pathetic grievances that he has to put an anti-conservative political spin on every piece of news that is printed. He's nothing more than a Liberal version of John Smith, though probably paid less. I guess, by now, he has himself convinced that Dunderdale is the reason for the increased use of cocaine, and that Dwight Ball will magically cure the problem when he gets elected. When people like this are allowed to vote, it makes you wonder about democracy, doesn't it. Tony, sorry but you're going to be just as miserable after the Liberals get elected

Tony Rockel

March 01, 2014 - 04:07

Yes, organized crime in this province has certainly undergone a shift: these days much of this activity has been concealed by Bill 29.